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Author: Paul St.pierre

Yesterday, in a moment that will go down as one of the greatest in the history of the Olympics the United States Women's hockey team defeated Canada in a thrilling shootout to win the Gold medal. This was an amazing moment to be able to witness in person with everyone in attendance on the edge their seats throughout the third period, overtime and the shootout. The atmosphere in the venue was so amazing with Canadian and USA fans going back and forth with cheers for their team. Once the final shootout attempt was stopped by 20 year old goalie Maddie Rooney the Hockey center erupted in cheers as the US women had done the impossible and beaten the team that had won gold in the sport at 4 straight Olympic games with the USA winning their first gold in the sport since the 1998 Olympics in Nagano. Being able to witness this historic event in person was truly amazing and defiantly one I will remember and brag about being at for the rest of my life.

Yesterday, we were given the chance to meet with one of the most prestigious and knowledgeable people behind the Olympic movement. Dick Pound has had a large influence on many main parts of the Olympic games over the last 40 years. Mr.Pound's many accomplishments include serving as the first president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) where he was instrumental in implementing the drug testing rules that are followed throughout the sporting world today. He currently serves as the Chairmen of the board of Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS). It was truly an amazing experience to hear all the stories and insight Mr.Pound was able to give about his many years changing the Olympic games into the amazing event they are today.

During one of my recent shifts at the Olympic Curling Center in the Olympic park I stumbled across an odd machine right inside the the venue overlooking the curling ice. At first I could not figure out what this strange machine was or why it was in an Olympic venue taking up walking space for spectators. However, I soon discover a sign explaining the function of the odd contraption. It turns out the machine had been installed by the PyeongChang organizing committee and the Gangwon Institute of Health and Enviorment to measure the air quality inside the venue. This shows the thought and care the organizing committee put into the enviormental impact of thier games and was very interesting to see this type of technology put to use in order to help preserve things once the games close.

Today, I was lucky enough to meet up with the man who has inspired my love for the Olympic Games since the age of 5 years old. Frank Carroll is a member of the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame winning Olympic medals coaching athletes such as Michelle Kwan, Evan Lysacek, Gracie Gold, and Denis Ten but, also happens to be my great uncle. I use to spend my time watching the Winter Olympics at home hoping to catch a glimpse of my Uncle Frank on the television and now getting to watch Olympic figure skating next to him was an amazing experience.

ps. For those who are interested his skater Denis Ten (Kazakhstan) will beginning his competition in men’s singles figure skating tomorrow (2/16)

During my shift at the Curling venue yesterday, I decided to take a look at the concession options inside and around the Olympic sports venues. What I found was an interesting array of options for fans. The venue offered 3 food stand options which were Western food, K-food, and Grilled and fried food. The western food option is made up of options for fans wishing to enjoy food from western countries such as the USA. These western options include hot dogs, pizza, cup-a-soup, pasta bologense, and Oreo cookies. The K-food stand gives fans the option of tasting some local Korean food options such as TTeok-bokki (spicy stir fried rice cake) and Eomuk (fish cake soup). The final grilled and fried food options gives fans the option of food such as barbecue sausage on a stick, fried dumplings, roasted quarter chicken, and grilled sausage. These options are all unique and interesting but show an effort by PyeongChang to provide options that please both local Korean fans and fans from far away western countries.

Last night I was given the chance to take in the hockey game between the USA women’s hockey team and the Olympic Athletes from Russia. Due to the NHL’s decision not to allow their athletes to participate in the Olympics this year perhaps the best hockey will be seen in the Women’s division. The United States team is full of very talented stars and did not disappoint last night. By the end of the second period the United States had already chased the Russian goalie from the game, scored 4 goals, and had more than three times the number of shots on goal as the Russians. The final score of the game was 5-0 and the USA Women are definitely gearing up for a run at the Gold medal and watching them in person was definitely an amazing experience.

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